1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a process for producing a soft pretzel which remains soft for an extended period of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Soft pretzels have been well known for many years. They have been articles prepared in the home and articles sold on the street corners for decades. They have a pleasant, soft taste of bread-like quality and texture and are enjoyed by the massess. Heretofore, soft pretzels have been produced by limited production with a high turnover rate in order to provide the desired taste. Unlike the hard pretzels which are consumed as snacks or appetizers, the soft pretzel must remain soft until consumption in order to achieve the requisite texture and thereby satisfy the purchasers. If the soft pretzel becomes hard, it is then totally unacceptable. This requirement for softness has led to the quick turnover rate and purchase at point of production so that consumption could be accomplished prior to the pretzel becoming hard. If sales were to be performed on the streetcorner, then limited quantities of the pretzel were produced and sold rapidly before they became stale, i.e. hard. This requires baking several times a day since normally these pretzels would become hard in a very short time and would never have a shelf life of more than about 3 or 4 hours.
In recent years, highly commercialized production of hot pretzels has occurred, usually in retail outlets in major shopping centers or the like. The more popular of these, and the more successful such operations, all have a cooking apparatus located within a small store to essentially cook the product immediately prior to consumption by the consumer. Retention of the cooked pretzel must be for a very short time in order that it may be consumed before it becomes hard. This necessitates a high turnover rate and almost constant production, at a low rate of production, in order to essentially keep up with the instant demand of the product. Needless to say, this is labor intensive. Heretofore, if this production occurred too fast, then the product would soon become hard and lose its acceptability. Consequently, the production of soft pretzels has been rather limited in scope and for decades has been desperately seeking an embodiment of a pretzel which would stay soft for an extended period of time, i.e. for greater than 12 hours.
The new and novel process for producing this soft pretzel makes use of common pretzel ingredients but uses them in such a manner as to produce a pretzel having an extended softness time.